Grant's retreat: Board departure a mystery

Gary Grant is no stranger to the hot seat. In fact, he's been on it pretty consistently since he was elected to the at-large seat on the Albemarle County School Board in 1999.

Grant ran for office as the information candidate, and, true to his word, he published a clear and detailed account of every school board meeting. His At-Large District Constituents' Report managed to irk fellow board members and resulted in public rebukes when he annually reported which teachers didn't make the cut to have their contracts renewed by the county.

But his insistence on making public records public earned him as many admirers too– including the esteemed Virginia Coalition for Open Government.

What caused him to throw down his pen at the March 27 school board meeting and publicly acknowledge in a 1:42am email sent to the 300 recipients of his Constituents' Report that not only did he not want to be at that particular meeting, but that he wasn't running for reëlection?

Was it weariness with a contentious school board? Was it an upcoming election against well-organized opponent Brian Wheeler?

He won't say. But he denies he's having a midlife crisis.

Grant's only other forays into politics came at his Iowa high school where he served as freshman and junior class president. "No one else wanted the job," he says, because it involved running a magazine sale and organizing the prom.

Before joining the school board, Grant was best known for his journalistic stints at the Observer and WINA.

His radio career began at age 12. "My father owned a radio station, and he needed Saturdays off so he could go to Iowa State football games," recalls Grant.

He admits that reporting got in his blood, but says, "I don't miss the money."

These days, Grant is a house dad by choice. He referees soccer games and works part time at the post office in Ruckersville. He estimates that school board business takes an average 15 to 20 hours a week, and he marvels at how people who hold full-time jobs manage to serve.

He clears up one misperception. "Some people think I'm a social conservative as well as a fiscal conservative. I'm not," says Grant, citing his support for a woman's right to choose and his opposition to the death penalty.

And where does the soon-to-be ex-school board member see himself in five years? "I'd still like to be refereeing soccer," he says. And while he doesn't exclude taking up politics again in the future, for right now, "I'm not actively thinking about it."

Meanwhile, Grant remains mum about why he's not running again, but perhaps the real story will come out if he ever manages to live his Walter Mitty fantasy.

Age: 54

What brought you here? A job at WCHV in 1984 after vacationing here in 1982

What's worst about living here? Land prices

Favorite hangout? Kitchen table

Most overrated virtue? Compromise

What would people be surprised to know about you? I used to open bodies for autopsies at a Seattle morgue in 1971.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Shyness in social settings

What accomplishment are you proudest of? Having taught school for six years

What do people find most annoying about you? I don't know, but I'd like to.

Describe a perfect day. Breakfast of waffles and decaf coffee on a sunny porch, browsing antique stores with my spouse, watching my children's soccer games, and finishing the day with a spicy Chinese buffet.

Walter Mitty fantasy? Writing a best-selling novel based on characters from the Albemarle School Board

Who'd play you in the movie? Cary Grant– we have the same birthday.

Most embarrassing moment? Dropping a friend's birthday cake on her doorstep